Maybe Again
by TheQueen117
Summary: On the eve of Sasuke's seventh birthday, the Uchiha run. Five years later, Sasuke dies on the road. Thirteen days after and too many miles away, Naruto is stabbed to death, scattering the Kyuubi's chakra into the universe. From his seat in the heavens the Rikudō thinks, Again. [Rebirth Fic / Fix-It]
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything.

* * *

 **Maybe Again**

.

 **Chapter 1**

.

 _We were alone and starved of love. Kids that live in a world full of hate._

.

On the eve of Sasuke's seventh birthday, the Uchiha set the heart of their complex ablaze. Their supplies are packed. Their history and scrolls and riches sealed away in waiting caravans. They leave in groups of twenty, silent and deadly into the night. Children are hushed. Elderly mourn their lost home, the graves of their dearly departed, and the place of all their dear memories. Mothers worry for the future. Fathers worry for the future.

In the morning, the village wakes to a sky full of ashes.

.

Before Sasuke leaves, he goes to school. He greets his teachers. He smiles the same cocky smile when he aces his classes, when he answers the questions right, and when the others praise him. Inside, he fears. He worries. He wrings his hands underneath his desk as ANBU pass in the shadows. He still his shoulders when others ask him to play tomorrow.

He says yes. (He feels guilt.)

He does not waste time in the yard. Itachi will not come for him today. Not today (on his last day here.) But he does take a moment to look back at the school and its yard and its children. He looks at its teachers and its grand trees. He feels a certain sense of loss.

(He has never known another home….)

The other parents have come for their children and he knows it is time to go. He must not waste time. But… but there is one last thing he must do. He seeks out Naruto. Naruto because he has always felt something for the other, a pull like an understanding that feels a little too heavy. He finds him behind the trees, hidden away from the other children and their parents who always wear the oddest looks when they see the blond. Sasuke has never understood it. Maybe if he stays he could learn why, but that does not matter anymore.

Sasuke grunts and catches the other boy's attention. Naruto jerks, stands with as much grace as a three-legged dog, and raises his fists. But Sasuke doesn't have time for a fight. He moves, steps in close past Naruto's defense and jabs him once, hard, on the forehead. "Good bye, Naruto." Maybe I will see you again, he means to say. Maybe we can be friends, he cannot say.

Before Naruto can gather himself to speak, he runs away, glancing over his shoulder to see Naruto touching his forehead with a look of confusion, a furious blush on his cheeks. He grins, waves, and disappears into the trees.

.

In the years that follow, Naruto will think of that moment, touch his forehead and smile. Because despite Sasuke's words, Naruto had understood. Naruto had known. See you again, Sasuke.

.

(Ashura and Indra meet and depart and meet again and again. This is the way the world turns.)

.

Five years later, somewhere between the unknown and the horizon, Sasuke comes down with a fever at the tender age of twelve.

The Uchiha have learnt to thrive, have learnt to adapt. They live off the land, learn the plants they cannot eat, catch animals for fur and food, craft the daily belongings they do not need to buy, and several dedicate what they can to the study of herbal remedies.

They have lost some on the way. The days of thirst and hunger while not forgotten are distant enough. Some stayed behind, broke their bound, sealed their Sharingans, and gave away their right to bear children. (The Uchiha do not risk bastards, nameless sons. They have learnt from history. They are always learning from history.) Others have simply passed from time. But this is the first time they have been struck with fever.

Fugaku turns their caverns around, sends a group of fifteen back to the last village they'd passed with orders to bring back a chakra healer because their herbs are not working and their knowledge is limited. After all, the Uchiha have never been a people of healers. Always a people of steel and war. The causers of wounds instead of the fixers. As they rush back, Fugaku regrets.

It is too late. On the fifteenth day, two days from their destination, Itachi wakes them all with a scream. Fugaku collapses to his knees. Would this have happened if we stayed, Fugaku asks no one. Would my son have lived if we'd stayed? It is not the first time he thought this (it will not be the last.) When the healers arrive, Mikoto directs them to the other children as she covers her son, her precious child, with a white sheet.

After it ends, Mikoto sets her blades and her senbon (her weapons, the things that brought her fame and renowned and fear) down, bows, and asks to be taught. Her eyes have dried. Her hands have steadied. On the outskirts of the village they have rested for the past month of sickness and healing, her first born, her husband, and she held a pyre that has only just stopped burning. The medic-nin takes pity.

So an Uchiha healer is made. She is not the only one.

.

Far away, Naruto is struck down by a drunkard as he walks home from Iruka-sensei's house. Taken by surprise, he does not fight; he cannot fight. By the time they find him there is nothing to save. Gone is the son of the Fourth and gone, with him, the Kyuubi, whose chakra scatters on the wind.

Iruka makes the arrangements. The Third pays. As they stand in front of the freshly covered grave, the last of the few that choose to attend (The Ichikara family, Kiba, Hinata, and Shikamaru), Iruka is struck by how old the third has become with wrinkles and age spots and thin, shaking hands.

From the shadows, Black Zetsu curses the loss of another plan and swears to try again.

.

Somewhere in the heavens, the Rikudō thinks, Again.

.

(The world turns.)

.

Itachi Uchiha presses his face to his hands as the mediwife, Sadara Uchiha, in the other room orders his wife to relax, to breath. She is screaming, cursing his name, as she gives birth to their first born. Sasuke, Itachi thinks, for a son. Mikoto for a daughter. His mother pulls him closer.

"Fugaku would be proud," she tells him as the screams quiet and then a new, fresh set of lungs fills the air. Itachi's knees nearly give out. His mother catches him. "Come now, Itachi. You have a child to greet."

When they enter the room, Sadara hands him a rinsed and swaddled child. "We have a son," Hikari whispers from her place on the bed, forehead sticky with sweat, cheeks flushed. But in that moment, Itachi swears she has never looked so beautiful.

He echoes her smile. "We have a son."

"Sasuke," Hikari whispers full of awe, holding out her hands for her son.

Itachi nods and comes to her side, hands their small, beautiful baby boy to her and fights back tears. Sasuke, he thinks, savoring the thought. Sasuke. Sasuke. Sasuke. After his beautiful baby brother. After the child who could have done so much more. Who sang with promise, with hope. And now here he is again, but different. Gifted with all the same promise and hope. A child born on the road as all their children are born and should be born: free. "He'll be incredible," Itachi promises her.

Hikari looks at him with so much love that it steals his breath away. "He will be, won't he?"

Together, they smile down at their baby boy.

.

Karin Uzumaki wakes to the sound of a window shattering somewhere in the distance and she curls tighter around her newborn. Naruto, she thinks feverishly. Naruto. Naruto. Naruto. Because in her arms she held the reason she breathed and the reason she would thrive.

Konoha had spared her when Orochimaru fell. And she'd wished they hadn't. She'd been lost, listless and without purpose. But the Godima's generosity, the white-haired bastard, had given her this apartment (on the edge of the slums, but still more than the sofa's she'd spent her last months of pregnancy sleeping on) and a job working a desk in the lower levels of the Hokage Tower. And she will not throw it away.

She hates Konoha. She hates this petty, prideful village, the way they look down at her and the way they squabble amongst themselves. She hates them for taking Sound. She hates them for killing her Master. But she will hold her tongue and she will bow her back. Because Naruto deserved better, and she would give him better.

Anything for this child, she thinks. A child so full of hope; a child made for the future. "You will be brilliant, won't you?" she whispers to Naruto. He scrunches his face for a moment before relaxing, turning towards his mother. Red hair tickles her chin and she laughs quietly.

So what if his father will never know him. So what if the village talks? She will be enough. She will give him the world.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything.

* * *

 **Maybe Again**

.

 **Chapter 2**

.

Hatake Kakashi is sitting in his office and sipping from a morning cup of tea when a summon descends. His ANBU move closer. He holds up a single hand. They still.

The bird's eyes hold an unsettling amount of intelligence. But Kakashi's focus is drawn past that to the pendant that hangs from its neck: red and white. A fan. Now… what could the Uchiha want with Konoha? Kakashi remembers them once. Proud. Distant. Subjects of envy and desire. (But he also remembers another who was known more for their smiles and boasts. And he sighs; forever wistful for something that should have happened.) He remembers the morning the Uchiha left. He remembers the way the sky had hung heavy, blackened with ash.

Today he is the last of Konoha's Sharingan because he'd been given a choice. Fugaku had been kind the night he'd come to Kakashi (the night before they left.) Fugaku had shown mercy. Last Kakashi had heard Itachi had taken the mantle. But still he owes Fugaku and the Uchiha a debt. He will honor his word. When he dies, his eyes will burn. "Thank you," he tells the summon as he takes the scroll wrapped around its leg.

It is coded. Of course it is coded. (They are nin. They do not trust.) But it is a code he knows, a code he taught Itachi in the quiet after ANBU missions. They no longer use it. ROOT knew it (knows it). Kakashi does not know if he has removed every trace of its rot from his Konoha and so ANBU has been restructured and reordered from the ground up. He can only hope it is enough.

The scroll itself is not too important. Not something to worry about if it falls into enemy hands. When he is done, he turns it to ashes and picks up his brush to write a reply and a letter. The summon huffs, settles on his desk, pokes at his papers and drinks from his teacup. He finds it amusing. When he is finished, he ties a new scroll to the summon's leg, thanks it for its service. When it is gone he call's out, "Crow." Crow comes forward. "Get me border patrol and housing. We'll be having guests."

.

Sasuke dances out of his mother's reach as she huffs and raises the comb threateningly. "Sasuke Uchiha the Second, if you do not come here this instant," she threatens.

In his corner, his father chuckles at their antics as he seals another envelope. "Darling…"

His mother turned to his father, "Do not darling me. I will not have our son looking like a monkey when he steps into his homeland. And you-" She points at Sasuke, "If you don't come here, I will have Hikaku shadow you the entire time you're in Konoha. I don't care that you're twelve years old. You are still old enough to ground."

"Moooom," Sasuke whines but relents, standing still as she runs the comb through his hair. Trying not to hiss too much. If only he could have gotten his mother's hair instead of his father's. It knots too easily and never holds its shape.

And Yuto said it made him look like a girl.

She finishes his hair off in a tight braid. "Aren't you excited?"

He grins, "Of course! Do you think the dango stand Papa always talks about is still there? Or what about the lake? The weapon's shop? Do you think I can attend the academy? Yuma says I must bring her back something only made in Konoha"

His mother shares a fond smile with his father. Sasuke scowls. Do they still think he has a crush on Yuma?

"I hope so," Father says, finally. Outside their caravan, men are yelling. The horses neigh. Their caravan comes to a stop. "I don't imagine Konoha has changed too much."

"It was always a city governed by its own time," his mother agrees.

His father stands, folding the last of his letters and sliding them into the long sleeves of his haori. He kisses her. Sasuke pretends not to see. He might be old enough to understand why one would like to kiss a girl. But that doesn't mean he has to stare.

"Itachi," Uncle Shisui calls through the tarp, "We're here."

.

Naruto does his best to stop fidgeting. "Are they here yet?" he hisses to Kaka-sensei.

Kaka-sensei chuckles and ruffles his hair. Mama scowls. Naruto does his best to smooth it out. "Oh come here," Mama snaps, handing to clipboard she'd been holding to Kaka-sensei. Someone in the crowd behind Mama throws them a dirty look. Naruto pretends not to see.

He refuses to let anyone ruin his mood. Not today. Because today he'd see his first Uchiha. They'd learnt about Uchiha that week at the Academy, about how they were a fierce clan of elite warriors and tacticians, how they had founded the village with the now-deceased Senju. When he told his mother this, she'd said they were Senju through alliance and marriage. The Shodiame had married their princess before their home burned to the ground. That is why they are welcome here in Konoha. One day he will visit his homeland's ashes and ruins. Maybe one day he will rebuild it.

"There they are," someone whispers and his mother stands straight, takes back the clipboard. Kaka-sensei straightens and adjusts his Hokage hat. Naruto tries to copy his stance. On top of the hill Naruto can see a group of brightly dressed people walking forward. Behind them is a train of caravans pulled by the biggest horses he'd ever seen, each one larger than the last.

The crowd start to murmur. Kaka-sensei hold up a hand. They settle.

Finally the caravan reaches the bottom of the hill. The group of brightly dressed people comes closer. There is a boy amongst them. The only child. Dressed in silks of green and gold, Naruto almost mistakes him for a girl before he catches his eyes. And oh…

Have we met before?

.

Itachi smiles when he sees Kakashi standing head of the welcome committee. When he'd heard his old mentor had taken the hat, he thought the position would suit him. Seeing him now in full Hokage garb, he had been correct, "Senpai," Itachi greets. Besides him Sosuke sighs at his informality.

Kakashi takes it in pride, "Itachi, my little kohai!" The woman besides Kakashi mimics Sosuke. "How are you?"

"I am well," Itachi says. "Thank you for allowing us passage."

Kakashi waves his hand as if to wipe away his words, "Of course. This is still your homeland, Itachi. I would never seal it from you or your people."

Itachi nods. In his travels, he has seen what people will do from pettiness and greed. He has seen people run out of their homes and has healed the victims of such crimes, grown back limbs and healed scars. Perhaps Kakashi, settled within the walls of Konoha, does not know such cruelty? Or perhaps he simply will not allow himself to stomach such notions even if Konoha will. Kakashi, he reflects, has always been kinder than people give him credit for. It is nice to know some things have not changed.

He will bring Konoha forward. (And hasn't he? Itachi knows how he took the hat with sword and lightning. No one was less surprised than the Uchiha to hear of Danzo's fall.)

"The grounds by the shrine are maintained," Kakashi added as if a side, as if it did not mean anything even though it does. Behind him, his brothers murmur amongst themselves and two break from the group-leaving only Shisui, his ever faithful shadow, and his son-to tell the rest. "I hope it can be used as a camp site."

"Yes that will be perfect," Itachi grins, "And as for the celebration…"

Behind Kakashi the group of Konoha clan members murmurs to each other. Kakashi shifts and with his presence alone calls their attention back into order. "Ready when you are," he says simply.

"Thank you, Sempai," Itachi stresses, meaning every word. Besides him, Sasuke fidgets, tugs at his hand suddenly. Drawing both leader's attention

Kakashi kind smile turns to a grin. He tilts his head to the side and Itachi follows to see a young red-head boy starring with unabashed awe. Kakashi's son? He follows the line of sight from the boy to his own son who is staring back in equal admiration, cheeks slightly flushed. Itachi chuckles. Hikari will adore this.

"My son," Itachi introduces, "Sasuke Uchiha, after my late brother."

Kakashi's face becomes somber for a moment. It had never been much of a secret how Itachi adored his little brother. "I apologize for your loss."

Itachi accepts with grace. "It is an old wound."

"Naruto Uzumaki," Kakashi turns to his own child, "My apprentice and son of my assistant, Karin Uzumaki," Kakashi introduces.

Itachi bows his head slightly in greeting. He knew of the Uzumaki and their strength. He had not known survivors lived in Konoha but had met an elderly woman along the border of Iron. She'd been fierce, had taught his people a great deal in sealing they used to increase the effectiveness of blood binding scrolls. He is indebted to her. It is a good surprise to meet a relative.

"Itachi-sama," Karin replies with her own bow.

She gently nudges her son and Naruto finally brings himself to say something though his eyes do not stray. "Hello."

Sasuke blushes harder, "Hi…"

Itachi's smile broadens. He is certain Kakashi is smiling under his own mask.

.

(So Asura and Indra meet.)

* * *

 **A/N:** For more frequent updates check out my AO3: TheQueen


	3. Chapter 3

Like all Uchiha, Sasuke learned at the knees of tutors and parents, uncles and aunts and older cousins. When he was old enough, he found teachers in the villages they frequented-villages with friendly governments and more than enough land to house the Wandering Clan. Villages that have made deals to shelter them in return for the Uchiha's knowledge in craft and the healing arts.

It is in one of these villages that Sasuke learned that the Uchiha have not always been this way. Warriors, they told him, monsters on the battlefield. But not anymore, not that Sasuke has ever seen. The Wandering Clan never raised a hand unless in defense. And never to harm. Precision over brute strength. Speed over force. Delicate paper fans instead of steel blades. Blood is not meant to be spilled. Life is not meant to be wasted.

They are healers. They know the ache of losing a life.

When he'd confronted his father, Itachi knelt for the first time in Sasuke's life and explained to Sasuke the weight of their history. Warriors, but also madmen. Honorable, and yet tempted. Haunted by both loss and betrayal, the Uchiha had fled. "We remember," his father had urged him, "and so we have learnt. Today we are different and in doing so we are free."

And Sasuke tries to understand. Free from bloodshed. Free from allegiance and a cycle of war. But in return they had lost this… Konoha. They had lost a homeland and, in turn, a part of themselves. A new chapter in history had opened at the cost of another's end.

Sasuke looks down at the bustling city from the Uchiha's campgrounds. Today he will learn if the cost has been worth the gain. Today he will live in Konoha. A silent thrill rushes through him. He bites back a scream of excitement as he helps his mother finish cleaning the dishes. The sunrise is a Sharigan red.

"Are you ready?" she prods.

Sasuke nods, packing and repacking his school bag. Father will be back from his meeting soon. He'd promised to walk with Sasuke on his first day. When he has finished his task, he looks up at his mother. "Do you think Naruto will be there?"

"I imagine so," his mother says. "Kakashi-san," -san because the Uchiha recognize no other leader than their own, "raised the graduation age. I imagine Naruto will be finishing his second- to-last year now."

Sasuke grins. Perfect.

The walk to the academy is oddly somber. Where Sasuke must fight back the urge to rush forward, his father seems to lag. Every now and then he stops, takes a look at a street corner or a particular cobblestone before continuing. Sasuke fights back the need to question. His father is a good man. A kind man. A loving father. Sasuke knows the dreams his father has for him. But his father has never left him to stumble his way forward. But Sasuke has learned his father is ultimately a private man. He will speak to Sasuke if he wishes. And he will speak to his wife when he returns home.

When they arrive, the academy is not what Sasuke expects. It is squat. Hidden somewhere between two alleyways and surrounded not by trees, but streets and their marketplaces. Nothing like his books had suggested where there are open areas for play and beautiful sakura blossoms forever falling from the sky. But it is still amazing. A whole building just for learning. The thought makes Sasuke envious. Konoha children are so lucky to just come and learn all day.

He has seen enough of the world to know it is a rarity.

"Be careful, Sasuke," Itachi urges him, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Sasuke frowns, looking up and up at his father. "Is there danger?"

His father thinks for a moment. "Complacency," he says. "We are meant for the road," he reminds Sasuke.

Sasuke nods. He knows this.

He knows this.

.

Naruto waves Sasuke over, throwing a pointed glance at Inoji so the blond boy moves over. "So what do you think?" Naruto presses the minute Sasuke sits down.

Sasuke smiles, "Hello Naruto."

He has a soft voice, Naruto decides. Like Hinata-sama when she was allowed to talk to him and like his mother after a long day at work. Glancing around the classroom, he grins as his classmates stare openly and without shame. After all, he, Naruto Uzumaki, has made friends with an Uchiha. Who else could say that? He grins. He sits closer and repeats his question.

Sasuke thinks for a moment. "I don't know yet," he answers.

Naruto imagines that is fair.

Konoha is a strange place. Naruto likes to think he has seen it at its best and worst. He knows sometimes he cannot make up his mind about this home. The teacher and the headmaster, an elderly man named Iruka-sensei, steps in. "Uchiha-san," Iruka-sensei greets, "Could you please come here?"

Sasuke stands, leaving his books where he'd unpacked them, and walks to the Headmaster's side. Iruka-sensei coughs for a moment and Sasuke waits, patient. So does the rest of the class.

When he's done, he clears his throat, "Everyone, this is Sasuke Uchiha."

The class buzzes and a few behind Naruto gasp. "I ask you help him and make him feel welcome. Sasuke, would you like to introduce yourself?"

Sasuke nods, a little jerky, before smiling at the class. "Hello everyone. My name is Sasuke Uchiha, son of Itachi Uchiha. I have been training since I was very young and specialize in healing and seals. Please take good care of me." He bows, just a little bow of his head like his father. The girls giggle.

Naruto frowns.

Sasuke returns to his seat. Haru-sensei starts teaching. Leaning over, Sasuke whispers, "Did I do alright?"

"Hmm?"

Sasuke blushes, "I've never been to school before. But I read that's what you're supposed to do…"

Naruto grins. He takes Sasuke's hand in his own and whispers. "You did great."

The girl next to him hisses something to her friend. Naruto bites back a sneer. Sasuke squeezes his hand in thanks.

.

After school, Sasuke steals Naruto away. Their camp is coming along. It will take another day to set up completely. Set up is always longer when they plan to stay in a village for longer. His father doesn't want to. Part of Sasuke has to wonder why they came to Konoha for the festival to begin with. But nonetheless there are graves to be visited and a festival to set up so there is a chance they will stay past the red moon.

He explains all of this to Naruto.

"I had no idea it took so much work to set up camp," Naruto admits, "I've been camping with Kaka-sensei and Mama, but it's only for a little bit."

Sasuke thinks on this. "We have more people," he settles on finally.

Naruto nods.

The camp is initially quieter than Sasuke expects. Despite the hour it seemed most were still out enjoying the village. Sadara, one of the few who'd married into the Uchiha and stayed after the wonder wore off, has no attachments to Konoha. It is not a surprise to find her by the beginnings of the kitchen, cutting firewood. "Sadara," Sasuke introduces, drowning when he has to drag Naruto forward. There has been nothing to imply he is shy before. "This is my new friend, Naruto."

"Naruto, this is my aunt, Sadara."

Naruto tried for a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

She smiles at him but it is sad. "I did not expect to meet family so soon," she says in place of introduction and Naruto makes a startled, wounded sound. Sasuke frowns.

"You're a Hyuuga," Naruto whispers. He reaches out for a steadying hand and finds Sasuke's.

Sadara shakes her head, no. Her stare turns hard, the veins in her face bulging in the way Sasuke knows means trouble or danger. "I am an Uchiha. I left. I married a new clan.

"How?"

She smiles at him, secretive, and Sasuke is certain he should not be listening to this. "I ran."

.

Later that night as the clan sits close around the dinner campfire, Sasuke asks for clarification. Naruto fidgets, picks at his food and then sighs before admitting, "I'm a bastard of the Hyuuga, the greatest of all the Konoha clans." There is a sneer in his voice, contempt for these Hyuuga.

"The Uchiha do not allow bastards," Sasuke confesses after a moment considering. There is a call for seconds and Sasuke offers both his and Naruto's plates.

Naruto snorts, self-deprecating and somewhat amused, "Neither do the Hyuuga."

.

After dinner, Sasuke shows Naruto how they wash and clean for the next day, efficiency at its finest. They have no trouble fitting Naruto into the line of scrape-wash-rinse-dry. Naruto grumbles, "I don't even do this many chores at home."

His father laughs, taking the recently washed plate from Naruto and drying it before handing it to one of his cousins. "With that sort of attitude, nothing would ever get done," his tone is light, but Naruto ducks his head, cheeks dusted pink. They are both aware enough to know a scolding when they hear one.

"Eh…Uchiha-sama," Naruto starts and then stops, looking at Sasuke as if asking for permission. Sasuke shrugs.

"Yes, Naruto," his father gently urges. Sasuke finishes cleaning one of his plates and hands it to his mother to dry.

"In school we learned about the Uchiha," Naruto starts, "But… but they said you guys were all really cool warriors. Not… not healers."

Sasuke looks up at his father when his father does not say a word. He looks to be thinking and suddenly his eyes find Sasuke's. But Sasuke knows this look, knows that when his father looks at him with such longing and grief that he is not seeing Sasuke, but his namesake, his brother. The revered and dearly missed Sasuke Uchiha the First. Sasuke looks away. He can never look at his father when he looks like this.

"When we left," his father finally says. "we were indeed a people of great renowned for our fighting skills, but… on the road the need for healers became more important than the need for fighters."

"Unaffiliated healers take an oath of doing no ill will unless forced," his mother continues, "And the Uchiha have always been a people of our word. Now we teach that oath to our children and to our children's children. We can fight," his mother continues. "But if we must not, we will not. Does that answer your question, Naruto?"

Naruto nods, thinking.

.

After that it becomes common for Naruto to come over for dinner. Sometimes he brings his mother. Sometimes he does not. Once he brought Kaka-sensei and it was fun hearing Uchiha-sama and Kaka-sensei recall stories from when they were younger when he usually only relaxed with his Mama and him. Good for the old man's blood pressure.

.

It is a month later, when Sasuke has fallen into something like a routine and their camp is well established, that he feels hands on him as his way back from school. Besides him, Naruto cries out. Words mangled as hands presses against his side and then Sasuke sees a blade.

The world stills. Naruto stills. The blade presses closer to his neck and Sasuke takes a deep, stuttering breath.

"No screaming," a feminine voice whispers in his ear and suddenly they are no longer on the forest path to the Uchiha campgrounds but in the woods where the trees are too thick and no one would see them by chance. The hand against his mouth leaves and Sasuke says the first thing that comes to mind. "Let him go."

The man holding the blade laughs.

"I won't fight if you let him go." Sasuke could. He knows enough fire jutsu to at least cause a scene. His hands aren't bound and the woman is foolish, standing so close. He has a small dagger sown into his sleeve that he could use if necessary. He's fast enough to use it if it becomes necessary. But the man holding the blade is also holding Naruto in a would-be chock hold. Sasuke will not risk blood if he does not have to.

Naruto stares at him, red eyes wide and terrified, and Sasuke feels sick. This is his fault. They're after him, aren't they? This is not the first time he has almost been kidnapped. This is the first time someone has gotten so close.

"Alright sweetheart," the woman says and then suddenly his vision is going dark and he fights it because they haven't let Naruto go. They haven't… They…

As his knees go weak, he hears the woman say, "Knock out the other one. We can get something for the eyes."


	4. Chapter 4

It is when Sasuke wakes slung across a man's shoulder does he realize the danger he is in. His hands are bound; his mouth is gagged. His eyes are blindfolded. Somewhere close by, he hears Naruto screaming and cursing to the amusement of a man, probably the same man from before and Sasuke aches with the need to tell him to shut up.

.

At some point night turns to day. He knows this because Naruto told them. And because the kidnappers are making camp. And while they unbind his feet and change the rope around his hands to avoid clotting, they do not remove the blindfold.

.

Their kidnappers make camp. Sasuke clings to Naruto as best he can with pinkies curled and shoulders pressed together. The night is quiet. The forest is thinning. Two more days and they'll be out of Konoha territory, Naruto whispers him to one night. Sasuke blinks against the black cloth of blindfold and asks Naruto what the sky looks like.

.

It's on the third day that Sasuke finally manages to loosen the ties around his hands enough to work his thumbs and pointer finger. That night he loosens Naruto's in the dead of night as one of their kidnappers yells amongst the campfire.

.

Halfway through the fourth, Naruto breaks one of the kidnapper's knees and the first thing Sasuke sees is the blade headed for Naruto's back.

No one had told him how the Sharigan burns.

.

Naruto screams as he hits, ripping the blade from the man who'd held it to his neck far too often and stabs him like they're taught to in the academy, between the third and fourth rib before twisting and ripping it out and going for the throat. There is blood in his hair and on his hands. There is blood falling from a shallow cut above his eye.

Near him Sasuke moves with a speed that is almost inhuman and he feels his byakugan activate before he can stop it just in time to deflect a series of quick blows from another man double his size. The world slows down, becomes crisp and clear in the way only a byakugan could offer. Sasuke comes into focus, his steps something Naruto could finally match.

The two fall in line, back to back.

.

In the aftermath, Naruto and Sasuke sit in silence, waiting. Konoha will find them. Naruto has faith in this. Itachi-sama will not loss his son. Kaka-sensei will break the world for him.

(He might not be Naruto's father, but he is more.)

"Can you use it?"

"What?" Naruto asks, even though he knows what Sasuke means. Sasuke whose a Uchiha and has the just activated his Sharigan. There are rope burns on his wrist and he can't stop touching them, can't stop staring.

"Has someone taught you?" Sasuke asks again.

"No." Naruto says, because it's the truth. No one will teach him, the bastard Hyuuga, the clan secrets. Certainly not a head family member and not a branch member who cannot breathe without direct orders. There are some mercies in being a bastard, some kindness in his freedom (but still he suffers and perhaps that is the price.)

He is twelve years old and he has activated his bloodline twice. Once for his mother. Once, just now, for Sasuke. He does not need their blood, after all. He has made it this far on his own.

"We'll find you someone."

"It's not that easy," Naruto laughs bitterly. He has tried. When he was younger and angrier at the world, not yet aware that Kaka-sensei and Mama are more than enough, he had tried. He had gone to Hinata-sama, the fallen clan heir in hopes of sympathy until she was punished for her kindness. It was then he learned to hate his clan.

"I'll make it that easy," Sasuke promises. There is a smear of blood along his cheeks. Naruto reaches up and wipes it away. Sasuke's Sharigan lazily spins into focus.

Naruto realizes he might be falling in love.

.

Coming home doesn't feel right.

His mother and father greet him as he returns to consciousness in a hospital bed. Naruto only a few steps away. They tell him how they were worried and they tell him how they missed him. He cries when they hug him and they tell him everything is going to be okay now.

Sasuke isn't sure he believes them.

He thinks a lot after that as he watches the Uchiha work around camp. He has not returned to school since. Naruto has not visited since. But that is not what he focuses on. He remembers the feeling of cloth around his eyes and finds it hard to sleep at night.

.

One night he gets up before the camp begins to stir and finds his way somewhere in the heart of the village. There are people about. Older men and women. Drunks and nin. Someone nearby slurs, laughs, throws a bottle, and he hears a shattering of glass. At some point he finds himself by a fountain.

This is where the Hokage finds him.

The Hokage is an interesting man. Sasuke has no real opinion of him. His father says he is a good man so Sasuke believes he is. His mother says he is a smart man and Sasuke believes he is. Naruto loves him. The Hokage offers him a drink of soda and asks him why he is out.

"Thinking," Sasuke says honestly. He hasn't found any proper answers. But he knows something isn't right. He thinks about how easy it was for him to be overpowered. How easy it was for them to threaten Naruto and blind him and whispers things about his eyes and Sasuke shivers.

"I knew a Uchiha," the Hokage says at some point. "Your great uncle."

"Obito Uchiha," Sasuke offers. "My father has his goggles."

Kakashi hums.

Sasuke finishes his soda and takes a deep breath. "Can you tell me… Can you tell me what the Uchiha used to be like? Before we left."

"Why do you want to know?" the Hokage asks, not looking at Sasuke but up. Past the Hokage monument and to the stars. Sasuke follows his line of sight.

"It's important."

"Very well."

.

At some point, Naruto finds Sasuke again. It is not that they sought each other out. But more like they gravitated towards each other. As if they could not stay away, not after everything.

There is a certain bound born of helplessness.

(But that isn't really true is it? Every since Naruto saw him, he's never really been able to take his eyes off Sasuke.)

"Hi," Naruto says because he doesn't know what else to say.

"Hi," Sasuke says because that's what you're supposed to say.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better."

"Good."

"Yeah."

They sit there in silence, neither one able to look the other in the eye. Neither one knowing what to say. And then Sasuke turns, grabs Naruto's hand and says, "I'm sorry."

Naruto frowns. "Don't be. What happened wasn't your fault."

"You were taken because of me," Sasuke offers, "because you were with me."

And that is true. But it wasn't fair. "You're not the one who kidnapped me, Sasuke," Naruto rephrases, "You were hurt too." After a moment of silence he adds, "I missed you."

Sasuke reaches out and takes Naruto's hand in his own, twisting their fingers together like they had attempted to on those nights they sat huddled away from the fire. "I missed you, too."

.

Sasuke begins his training with Kakashi-sensei before his father can stop him.

Lightning, Sasuke soon realizes, comes to him easier than breathing, easier than fire. It flows from his fingers through his body and out, arcing brilliant and beautiful against the evening sky as Kakashi-sensei sits, content with his tea and scrolls. This is where his mother finds them, practicing against a windstorm that breaks trees and makes the very mountain creak.

"This is not what we teach you," his mother says in way of greeting when Sasuke pauses, to glance at his mentor and finds his mother sipping slowly from Kakashi-sensei's teacup.

Sasuke knows this. That the Uchiha do not specialize in combat, anymore. Has learned from Kakashi-sense what their past of warriors had once meant. Fire not meant to simply cauterize and warm, but to burn and ravage. Scalpels and senbon not simply for the use of sedation and surgery but for assassination, for the taking of life instead of saving. At one point their paths diverged. Sasuke from his ancestors, his ancestors from their descendants.

Sasuke is still not convinced this is a wrong thing. The taste of freedom and travel is too engrained in his bones to ever consider returning to Konoha. But he has thought of this too much to be content with the way things are. Weakness and guilt itch under Sasuke's flesh like a poorly healed chakra pathway. Perhaps a balance? Warriors and healers. Who said one must choose? So Sasuke turns to his mother, lightning still fresh from his fingers and says, "I know."

She frowns. "Come home, Sasuke. Your father would like to speak to you."

.

Itachi Uchiha is a good man and a good father. But he is also a private man. His emotions are not something Sasuke is familiar with. His weaknesses almost nonexistent. So when Sasuke enters the tent only to be met with his father's rage, Sasuke does not know what to do, what to say.

"Dangerous," his father snaps, pivoting on his left foot to continue his pacing. "Reckless. A complete abandonment of what I have taught you. Sasuke," he snaps, eyes burning, "did you enjoy it then? Killing those men and women?"

His mother makes a disapproving noise from where she sits in her corner as Sasuke jaw clenches despite the burn of tears in his eyes.

His father's eyes stray to her for a moment before he turns back to Sasuke, fear and anger clear as day on his face. "Well then? Explain yourself," he barks.

Sasuke takes a deep breath. "I-," his voice breaks and his face burns before he tries again, "I will not be caught weak again."

His father scowls, moving to tower over Sasuke. "Better men than you have searched for power and lost themselves," his father promises, red eyes swirling with memories Sasuke can only imagine.

"The world will not allow us to be weak," Sasuke rephrases, desperate to make his father if not understand then at least think. "So we must become strong enough to refuse battle. I am a healer," Sasuke says. "I do not want to fight. I do not want to hurt. But I will. I will because I will not be weak. Balance, Father. We must have balance."

And with that he leaves before his father can see the tears on his cheeks. Not now. Not yet.

He is not strong enough to be weak just yet.

.

Naruto finds Sasuke at their spot near the fountain with a look in his eyes that Naruto has grown familiar with. Sasuke is a will and a force and Naruto is content to be swept up in it.

"I have kept my promise," Sasuke hisses to him, urgent and gleeful, hands warm against Naruto's as they make their way to their village.

"Your promise?" Naruto asks. He is tired. His mother had kept him awake with her night terrors, constantly checking up on him at night as Naruto wills himself still in an illusion of sleep to put her at ease. She has not been the same since he came home. Careful and quiet and, at times, fearful. Insistent on a guard following Naruto around until Kaka-sensei put a stop to it.

He does not know how to help her.

"I found you a tutor," Sasuke grins, pulling him past the gate of the village to the outskirt farming communities. Banking a hard left along the river to break into a run that Naruto is quick to follow. "Kakashi-sensei helped me."

"Sasuke," Naruto cries, "no branch member can train me without the main household's permission. It's impossible."

Sasuke grins, feral, as they stop in front of a humble cottage. "This is no branch member."

It takes little time for the owner of the house to open the door. The first thing that strikes Naruto is that he is a Hyuuga. A Hyuuga Naruto has never seen before. With the traditional long black hair tied back and the common pale skin. But what truly steals his breath away is his eyes.

He is blind.

.

Sitting at Neji Hyuuga's kitchen table as he makes tea, graceful despite his lack of sight, is not something Naruto ever expected. "Sasuke," Naruto hisses, eyes following the older man as Sasuke sits content with himself next to Naruto. "What are you doing?"

"I've found you a teacher," Sasuke repeats. The fire in his eyes ever present as he simply exudes happiness from his grin to the lack of tension in his back.

"A blind teacher," Naruto hisses.

"The clan might have taken my eyes," Neji Hyuuga cuts in, making Naruto jump, as he sets three tea cups on the table. "But they have not taken my sight. There are many things I could teach you, Naruto. If you'd let me."

Naruto frowns, cautious, "Why do ya want to teach me?"

Neji Hyuuga smiles. "Call it what you will but I feel you were meant to come to me, Naruto Uzumaki. Fate does not give without reason. It is our job to take what is given."

.

"We'll be leaving soon," Sasuke warns later that night as they make their way back from Neji-sensei's cottage. Naruto aches. His chakra is low. His arms will be sore tomorrow. And yet there is a spring in his step, a promise on the horizon. And yet… Naruto blinks and looks up to see the moon is close to full. He cannot believe it's already been a month…

Sasuke pauses half way over the bridge to look over the water. "I will miss you, Naruto."

Naruto hums, taking his place beside Sasuke. "This won't be it," Naruto promises, feeling a fire begin to kindle as he swears, "No matter what, I'll become chunin and I'll find you."

Sasuke leans away from the banister to look at Naruto as Naruto looks back before slowly coming closer and kissing Naruto softly on the forehead. "Don't promise that. Don't give up your dream," Sasuke whispers, though he does not mean it. Not really. Fate… yes, perhaps that is it.

"I will find you," Naruto simply repeats.

And they both think, I won't lose you.

.

Somewhere in the heavens the Rikudō begins to count the days his boys will come home.

* * *

For more recent stories check out my AO3: TheQueen.


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